This invention relates to a user interface for improving operability of an information processing system and in particular to a user interface for improving operability of an information processing system having an integral input and display unit of a large screen or having a plurality of displays.
A system described in the paper "The Digital Desk Calculator: Tangible Manipulation on a Desk Top Display," Proceedings of UIST'91, ACM, 1991 by Pierre Wellner is taken as a conventional example of an information processing system using the full surface of a desk as a display area and an input area. The system comprises a computer-controlled camera and projector above a desk. The projector is used for display and the camera for input. The system provides a "digital desk" having the functions of reading a paper document on the desk by the camera, for conversion to an electronic document and displaying it on the desk by the projector or printing the electronic document by a printer for conversion to a paper document, for example. Also disclosed is a user interface on which a position or articles on the desk is pointed to by a user's finger on the desk. Further, the paper suggests that actual stationeries such as an eraser can be used for performing processing related thereto.
However, in the related art such as the digital desk, the user interface does not care to make full use of an integral input and display unit (or a digitizing tablet overlaying a display screen) of a large screen or a plurality of displays.
That is, the related art teaches the idea that motion of a user's hand or an actual stationery is detected for use as a user interface, but fails to disclose an idea that the display position of the object to be displayed, which will be hereinafter referred to as the object, is determined by the user position or that the display position is determined avoiding places hidden by obstacles on the desk. This means that little or no consideration is given to possible problems which will occur when the integral input and display unit is enlarged to the size of the entire desk.
For example, the problems of the integral input and display unit of a large screen are as follows: If a display 40 inches wide, namely, about 1 m diagonal, is positioned with its screen face placed horizontally just in front of a user, unlike a conventional CRT display viewed by the user at a distance therefrom, it is difficult for the user to see the displayed object depending on the positional relationship between the object display position and the position where the user sits, or there is a chance that it will be difficult for the user to perform input operations at a position on the large screen, distant from the user.
Since such a large integral input and display unit occupies the major part of the desk, it is possible that the user uses the top surface of the integral input and display unit as a work space. For example, the user may work with reference materials such as books and notes placed on the integral input and display unit. Therefore, there is a chance that the obstacles will conceal the displayed object.
Thus, in the related art, if an object is presented at a position distant from the user at the large-screen integral input and display unit placed horizontally, the user must take steps such as moving his or her body conforming to the object display position or moving the object to a position where it is visible. Load is therefore placed on the user.
The related art provides techniques whereby the displayed object can be moved by hand as if it actually existed, etc., and lessens the awareness that the user is handling a computer, but the operations supported by the art are limited.